The Dance of Light

Pick a mountain, it can be any mountain, one that is draped in dark brooding green of evergreen forests OR effervescent green of monsoon grass OR light green of tea plantations OR the sticky green of coffee plantations. There is no place better than a mountain to watch the dance of light, which is an unique monsoon experience in itself, since its not just about the light.

Dance of light is a concoction of many distinct ingredients that leaves you mesmerized. It starts with a large helping of clouds racing across the hills, either as floating wisps drifting through the mountain peaks, or as marching bands of dark rain clouds that bring on twilight and rain down on you. With the clouds comes the wind, at times as a gentle breeze that holds you in its blissful drift, else storming through as a bone chilling gust that reaches deep into the core of your body, wanting to snatch away all the warmth. Add to the wind a dash of smell, of wet earth drinking in the rain, of fresh green shoots finding new life, of clean air drifting through the valley. Mix in a few drops of sound, of trees rustling in the gentle breeze, of birds twittering away in the morning light, of heavy silence that drapes the hills before the rains come down., of rain drumming against your umbrella. All of these put together, make the dance of light an amazing experience, which continuously changes with time. Simmering like a mirage at one moment and awe inspiring like an avalanche in other moment.

We got to experience the Dance of Light at Sinnadorai’s Bungalow, Kadamane. The drive up to Kadamane sets the tone, with winding roads that lead up to this beautiful bungalow, located in the heart of Western Ghats. You tune out all the sound around you – music, people talking, bikes honking etc. Focus on the rains drops and try to listen to the orchestra as a whole – steady slow start, a pitter patter that quickly turns into loud crescendo, the bassy growl of your engine as you downshift, the scrunch, splash and squelch of your tires providing the running score. Focus on the narrow winding strip of tarmac, sometimes glistening wet with fresh rain, sometimes grey and worn like old granite, sometimes sporting brown streaks of mud washed down, sometimes hiding its wicked smile in a puddle.

While its hard to focus on the various shades of green that drift past your vision, know that its always better to stop for a minute, and zero in on that emotion that is filling your head – Joy! Quiet joy of walking back to your car and pausing to enjoy that moment. Ecstatic joy of looking at rolling hills with the wind screaming into your ears and rain belting down on you. Serene joy of rolling downhill, windows down and soft rain caressing your skin. Unbridled joy of sharing a monsoon moment with friends and family.

As you drive up to the gate of Kadamane, the green of the hills and tea plantations makes you forget about everything else. The joy that you felt while driving up to the gate, gets multiplied exponentially as you drive through the estate and climb up the small hill to the bungalow. We were greeted with cold lemon tea but all we needed was time. Time to put our feet up and soak in the vista of rolling hills, time to watch the dance of light, time to unwind and feel yourselves drifting away.

Spacious rooms that still manage to provide a faint glimmer of their colonial past, sit outs that allow you to enjoy the rain while sipping on Kadamane’s delicious red tea and tasty food ensures that you don’t really have any reason to complain.